2016 Honda Odyssey Electrical Problems

After the vehicle is off, and after the smart key fob is removed from the vehicle, the dashboard will flicker, the alarm sometimes goes off and the headlights turn on draining the battery and leading to me having to jump the car to get it started. This makes the car undependable as it could happen after driving somewhere and leave myself or my wife stranded. I have taken this in to the Honda dealership but they noted that it did not occur when they were servicing the vehicle and they weren't sure what the issue could be. Many times the check engine light, FCW and LDW lights will come on and then reset after the car has been driven.

NHTSA ID

11748712

Incident

Jul 6, 2026

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Honda Odyssey on April 29, 2026. The vehicle was purchased from a dealer. At the time of the purchase, the odometer was recorded at 95,745. The contact later purchased the CARFAX report which indicated that on July 17, 2024, the odometer was recorded at 102,223. The dealer was made aware of the discrepancy.

NHTSA ID

11743435

Incident

Apr 29, 2026

Mileage

95,745 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the driver's side and passenger's side sliding doors were difficult to open and close. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions, and the dealer replaced the passenger's side sliding door motors and cables twice however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the cause of the failure could not be determined. The dealer applied lubricant to the cables; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ID

11640620

Incident

Feb 4, 2022

Mileage

60,000 mi

Passenger powersliding door sensor went off while driving indicating door was open when it was closed, door not latching properly to close

NHTSA ID

11630812

Incident

Dec 14, 2024

The keyless entry module on numerous Honda vehicles has a known flaw where one or more chip are inadequately protected from the elements. [XXX] and [XXX] ) This is unsafe and can cause the vehicle to become "immobilized." This happened to my wife on [XXX] while she was out shopping and left her and our kids stranded when the 2016 Honda Odyssey refused to start. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11607899

Incident

Aug 8, 2024

One day my car just turned on. Lights come on will not turn off. Dashboard lights up with every symbol blinking, relays under the hood turning off turning on non-stop. Took it to the Honda dealer, who said I needed a VSA module. Only catch here is the part will not be available until October 2024. 4 months from now. Was told they put me at the bottom of the list as my car is 7 years old. Newer vehicles get priority. Rich people first poor people last. When it would run car would randomly just turn off while driving. Car unsafe to operate.

NHTSA ID

11602767

Incident

Jul 5, 2024

The spool valve had a complete seal failure leaking oil onto the alternator causing the alternator to fail. As result the entire electrical system failed, shutting off all propulsion of the van. This occurred while the vehicle was in the high speed left lane on [XXX] @ the [XXX] exit. I had to coast the vehicle across two lanes of 75 mph traffic, cars and large tracker trailers. I was passed by several cars and tracker trailer while coasting across the two lanes of traffic as there was no shoulder on the left side of [XXX]. There were no warning lights prior to the event. American Honda Motor Co. issued Service Bulletin [XXX] on [XXX] to Honda Dealers/Service about the potential for the spool valve casket to leak and fail so that Honda could check for this failure and replace the defective spool valve. The service bulletin covers five (5) different Models and for some Models six (6) model years. The part number identified is 15810-R70-A04, Front Rocker Arm Oil Control Valve (Spool Valve). The correction action is to inspect the front rocker arm oil control valve for leaks and, if needed replace it. The possible causes are the gasket on the front rocker arm oil control valve has deteriorated or the gasket groove is out of SPECIFICATION. Service personnel at Jeff Wyler Honda, 949 Burlington Pike Florence KY 41042, admitted to replacing this spool valve on my Honda Odyssey model several times a month. They admitted that the failure of the spool valve seal can leak oil on to the alternator causing the alternator to fail causing a complete loss of the electrical system and propulsion, seen reports of complete engine fires due to the spool valve gasket failure, noted that the the service bulletin was not attached to my vehicle VIN as did Honda of Jackson 1408 U.S. Highway 45 ByPass Jackson TN 38305. Because America Honda Motor Co. failed to attached the service bulletin to my VIN, my vehicle was not inspected properly for this safety defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

NHTSA ID

11582393

Incident

Mar 17, 2024

Left passenger sliding door cable snapped while trying to open door, will not close or latch

NHTSA ID

11568708

Incident

Jan 30, 2024

Consumer complaint: Repeated failed batteries (3), alternators (3), Start button (1) and left stranded multiple times due to no start. Problem: Honda Odyssey keyless entry computer board not fully sealed. This allows dendridic growth of corrosion on the board. This causes a short that endlessly sets the vehicle ignition into "Run" position. Eventually this shorts the alternator and drains battery. Solution: Cleaned and seal affected area. You can find a repair video and explanation here: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11567414

Incident

Jan 18, 2024

I am not sure what is going on but my key phob no longer will unlock my van or lock it. My car seems to loose power sometimes but more than normal it almost as if it is going to die as I an driving it. This has been ongoing since June 2023.

NHTSA ID

11543070

Incident

Sep 6, 2023

While driving in October 2022, my car suddenly had the check engine light begin flashing. My car immediately began to lose power and would barely accelerate. Multiple other dash lights then started flashing. I called the Honda dealership who told me to drive it there. I barely made it to the dealership (having to drive slowly, not being able to accelerate, and not knowing if the car was suddenly going to die). The Honda dealership diagnosed it as a failure of the piston rings leading to a catastrophic engine failure. These piston rings needed to be replaced, which could only be done with an entire engine rebuild. This cost approximately $5000. I got the car back and then the next day was driving on a major interstate traveling 70mph. All of the sudden the car completely shut down. It was so extremely dangerous. I had to pull over to the side of the road and wait for a tow truck. The town truck took the car back to the Honda dealer, which diagnosed a timing belt failure. The timing belt and water pump had to be replaced, costing an additional $1-2k. Then in August 2023 the alternator has now failed. This caused the car to again suddenly die while driving it.

NHTSA ID

11537618

Incident

Oct 23, 2022

Control Module system failure escalated to an extent where the vehicle will not turn off after pushing the off button and cause flickering while the vehicle is in motion. Part #38329-TK8-A01 is currently in the shop due to part replacement on critical backorder. The vehicle has and can shut off during transit making it a hazard on the road. The vehicle had to be disconnected from the battery to be able to shut off the vehicle, but the on-road transit shut-off was not reproduced. Honda Dealership has inspected the part, and they're unable to correct or resolve the part without a complete replacement. Issues before the incident: Lights would flicker, a clicking noise would be heard from under the hood, car alarm would go off with nothing attempting or touching the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11532741

Incident

Jun 27, 2023

UNKNOWN I was urged by a Honda World representative to give my account. My vehicle has intermittently flashed forward collision warning failure/lane departure warning and the check engine light. The issue has been reported to the dealership and they've acknowledged that it seems to be a well-known issue with this particular make/model/year vehicle, due to a faulty part. In order to issue a recall there need to be reports. So here you go.

NHTSA ID

11485726

Incident

Sep 21, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact parked the vehicle, turned the engine off, and removed the ignition key from the ignition but failed to switch the shifter from the drive position. While attempting to exit, the vehicle rolled backward down the driveway and crashed into the mailbox. During the incident, the contact attempted to reenter the vehicle to prevent the rollaway and was pushed to the ground and dragged down the driveway causing multiple injuries which included a back injury, leg contusions, ankle injuries, and a lacerated left leg which required medical treatment. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the incident. The local dealer was not yet contacted. The contact was also concerned that the ignition key was able to be removed from the ignition switch although the shifter was still in the drive position. The failure mileage was 101,000.

NHTSA ID

11480750

Incident

Aug 20, 2022

Mileage

101,000 mi

- dashboard warning lights (engine light, LDW, FCW, Emissions, and VSA) come on every couple of weeks; the warning lights stay on for anywhere from a few hours to a few days, then go off again. - car alarm goes off randomly, very frequently. - when the car is turned off and parked, sometimes randomly I would hear rapid clicking from the dash. Sometimes that clicking would be accompanied by all the dashboard lights flickering on and off for about 30 seconds, repeating that sequence for a few minutes. -won’t start at times. Engine won’t turn off when start/stop switch depressed.

NHTSA ID

11475732

Incident

Apr 21, 2022

While driving my odyssey it began having the air conditioner blink off and on, radio was blinking off and on and multiple lights were lit up on the dash. There were no lights on my dash and no warning prior to this happening. My car then lost all power as if it was in neutral. I was pushing the gas pedal but the car would only rev like it was in neutral. Then the car began revving itself and the RPM's were getting dangerously high all while I was frantically trying to get to the side of the highway through traffic. I was in the left lane in a 70 MPH area. My blinkers were not working. After I finally got to the side of the road and stopped, the car was able to accelerate again. Then the whole thing happened again. When I shut the car off, the car then began clicking and dash lights were flashing all over the place, but the car would not start, Then I was able to finally start it, but I didn't dare to take it onto the highway again. Please help - this is a life-threatening issue and Honda should reimburse this immediately. I have read this same issue on multiple other chat boards.

NHTSA ID

11464047

Incident

May 7, 2022

When driving, the electric systems in the car completely turn off. You lose all dashboard functions, including blinkers, speedometer, radio and information panel. Car starts to slow and gas pedal does not seem to work. Power steering also seems to stop working. Car gradually slows. Hazard lights do continue to work. When you come to a full stop, car starts again and works fine. The problem is extremely dangerous if driving of a freeway or other multi lane, higher speed road. We experienced the problem almost immediately after purchasing the car (used, with 28K miles, from Paragon Honda in NY). We bought the car back to the dealer and they replaced an electrical harness. THe problem did not reoccur again for around 4 months (we only drive around 10K miles per year), when it happened again on a local road. Recently, in April and May the problem occurred two more times, with the last occurrence nearly causing a serious accident as we were driving in the left lane on the LIE at around 60mph. Getting the car to the shoulder with limited brake, steering and acceleration functions, and not having use of the blinker was extremely dangerous. This is a very serious issue. Bringing the car back to the dealer, but given the short duration of the initial fix, I fear there is a fundamental defect in the electric system. Went online to a Honda Odyssey discussion board, and was surprised that there were a number of other similar complaints. If this is a systemic problem, it is a big one.

NHTSA ID

11419881

Incident

May 5, 2021

IN COLDER WEATHER THE BACK LIFT HATCH WILL NOT OPEN OR YOU HAVE TO TRY AND WARM IT UP SOMEHOW. DURING WARM WEATHER IT WILL OPEN RIGHT AWAY BUT WHEN IT COLD YOU HAVE TO STAND THERE WITH YOUR HAND ON THE BUTTON FOR 5 MINS OR IT MAY NOT OPEN UP AT ALL. PRIOR YEAR MODELS HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM AND THERE IS A RECALL BUT NOT THIS YEAR. I TOOK IT IN AT THE START OF SPRING AND BEFORE MY EXTENDED WARRANTY WENT OUT AND TOLD THEM THE PROBLEM, THEY SAID THEY FIXED IT BUT REPLACED A LATCH. IT WORKED FINE BECAUSE IT WAS WARM WEATHER AND SUMMER CAME BUT THE FIRST COLD NIGHT IN SEPTEMBER IT WOULDN'T WORK. I WENT BACK IN AND BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN MONTHS AND SO MANY MILES THEY WOULDN'T FIX IT WHICH IS CRAZY CONSIDERING PREVIOUS MODELS HAD A RECALL AND THEY SHOULD HAVE REPLACED THAT PART AND NOT SOMETHING IT WASN'T.

NHTSA ID

11386781

Incident

Mar 5, 2020

Mileage

70,000 mi

THE CAR IS STATIONARY. THE SAME THING OCCURS IF THE VAN IS RUNNING OR NOT. THE REAR HATCH OPEN SWITCH DOES NOT WORK WHEN THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS COLD. THE MINUTE THE OUTDOOR TEMPERATURE WARMS UP I CAN OPEN THE REAR HATCH.

NHTSA ID

11383360

Incident

Dec 6, 2020

Mileage

23,000 mi

THE DRIVER SIDE AUTOMATIC SLIDING PASSENGER VAN DOOR OPERATED IMPROPERLY - AS THE DOOR WAS MOVING BACKWARD TO OPEN, OUR 3 YEAR OLD GRANDDAUGHTER SLIPPED AND HER HEAD WAS LODGED BETWEEN THE INSIDE DOOR FRAME AND DOOR THE DOOR LODGED HER HEAD AND STOPPED MOVING-BACKWARD, TRAPPING HER HEAD, PLACING EXTREME PRESSURE ON HER SKULL. WE COULD NOT GET THE DOOR TO RELEASE FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. SHE WAS SCREAMING - CAUSING HER SIBLINGS MUCH TERROR AS WE WORKED TO FREE HER FROM THE ENTRAPMENT. WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GET HER RELEASED. SHE WAS SEEN BY HER PEDIATRICIAN IMMEDIATELY AFTER HER GETTING HER OUT. I WILL SEND PICTURES. SHE IS LUCKY SHE DIDN'T GET HER SKULL CRUSHED OR LOSE AN EYE WE REACHED OUT TO HONDA - THEIR RESPONSE WAS THE DOOR OPERATED AS IT SHOULD WOW WE HAVE BEEN OWNERS OF MANY HONDA'S AND BOTH OUR DAUGHTER AND WE OWN A ODYSSEY AS SHE HAD TRIPLETS IN 2016 AND WE BOTH FELT HONDA WAS A SAFE CHOICE WE DO NOT WANT ANOTHER CHILD OR FAMILY TO EXPERIENCE THIS TRAUMA - NOR LOSE A CHILD BECAUSE OF IT. ALL OUR GRANDKIDS HAVE BEEN TRAUMATIZED BY THIS INCIDENT - AS WAS OUR DAUGHTER - HER MOTHER AND I. OUR DAUGHTER HAS SINCE TEASED IN THIS VAN. AGAIN WE BELIEVE THIS IS SERIOUS AND MEASURES SHOULD BE PUT IN PLACE TO PRECLUDE THIS THE VEHICLE WAS OFF PARKED IN OUR DAUGHTERS DRIVEWAY THE DOOR HAD MALFUNCTIONED ONCE BEFORE AND LOOKED AT BY HONDA DEALER. HONDA CARS OF AIKEN, AIKEN SC *TR

NHTSA ID

11326253

Incident

Jan 17, 2020

Mileage

34,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING, THE SLIDING DOORS OPEN SENSOR WILL GO OFF. THIS CREATES A MAJOR DISTRACTION WHILE DRIVING AS IT IS A CONSTANT BEEP TRYING TO ALERT YOU THAT YOUR DOORS ARE OPEN. OBVIOUSLY WHILE DRIVING, MY DOORS ARE CLOSED. THIS HAPPENS AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK IN WHICH I AM FORCED TO SHUT OFF THE POWER SLIDING DOORS.

NHTSA ID

11318196

Incident

Mar 10, 2020

Mileage

45,000 mi

REAR DOOR CAN NOT BE OPENED IN THE COLD WEATHER. REAR DOOR CAN ONLY BE OPENED IN THE WARM WEATHER

NHTSA ID

11290706

Incident

Jan 2, 2019

Mileage

16,000 mi

INITIALLY NOTICED STARTING PROBLEM WHERE CAR WONT START. THEN GOT A P060A CODE AND VSA LIGHT NOTICED LOW BATTERY AND HOOKED UP A BATTERY CHARGER. I NOTICED A CLICKING SOUND LIKE THE STARTER WAS ENGAGING SEVERAL TIMES AND ALL THE CABIN LIGHTS WERE ON, ALL ON ITS OWN. I HAVE NOTICED THE CABIN LIGHT WAS ON BEFORE WHEN I FIRST CAME TO THE CAR AND I SIMPLY THOUGHT THAT KIDS OPENED THE DOOR BEFORE ME. NOW I AM SUSPICIOUS THAT THE CAR IS RUNNING THE STARTER AND TURNING ON THE CABIN LIGHT IS DRAINING THE BATTERY. THIS ISSUE MIGHT OCCURRED EARLIER AS I HAD TO CHANGE THE BATTERY AFTER ABOUT 2 YRS. AFTER THE CAR WAS BOUGHT NEW. THIS CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH PUSH BUTTON START.

NHTSA ID

11279500

Incident

Nov 9, 2019

Mileage

101,000 mi

ONE DAY AFTER CHANGING ENGINE OIL AT HONDA DEALERSHOP LAST WEEK MONDAY, THERE WAS FLICKERING ON DASH BOARD AFTER TURNING THE POWER OFF. THE SYMPTOM WAS GETTING WORSE AND ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY (YESTERDAY), THE CAR HORN HONKING ITSELF. AND YESTERDAY, THE DASH BOARD POWER COULDN'T BE TURNED OFF WHEN I TURNED THE POWER SWITCH OFF (ENGINE OFF LUCKILY) AND THE FLICKERING GOT WORSE LAST NIGHT. SO, I DID UNPLUG THE BATTERY WITH A WORRY OF FULLY DRAINED BATTERY OVERNIGHT. TODAY MORNING, I PLUG THE BATTERY BACK AND GET THE SAME ISSUE, AND LUCKILY IGNITE THE ENGINE AND WENT TO DEALER SHOP AGAIN. THEY DID DIAGNOSIS AND SAID KEYLESS ACCESS CONTROL UNIT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. HERE IS THE SUMMARY OF THE SYMPTOMS: LAST WEEK FLICKERING DASH BOARD WITH FCW SYSTEM FAILED. AND HONKING ITSELF WITH KEEPING FLICKERING. YESTERDAY, I SAW ERROR MESSAGE OF "KEYLESS SYSTEM ERROR". AND I WENT TO DEALERSHOP IN THIS MORNING. HERE IS MY SPECULATION: DURING OIL CHANGE, THERE WAS OIL SPILLING, WHICH CAUSES SHORTING OF CIRCUITRY (OR TECHNICIAN ACCIDENTLY HIT SOME PARTS INSIDE). IT CAUSES FREQUENT ON/OFF OF ELECTRONIC SYSTEM, ENDING UP BREAKING THE KEYLESS ACCESS CONTROL UNIT. THE DEALER DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING, BUT CHARGED ME TO REPLACE THE PARTS SINCE MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY.

NHTSA ID

11267009

Incident

Sep 30, 2019

Mileage

45,000 mi

TAKATA RECALL MY HONDA ODYSSEY IS A 2016 MODEL. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHEN I DISCOVERED THE WIRES WERE BROKEN TO THE SLIDING ELECTRIC DOOR. I WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE $1500 TO FIX. I INQUIRED ABOUT THIS BECAUSE A MINI VAN IS BUILT TO ALLOW THE DOORS TO EASILY BE OPENED AND CLOSED. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THEY HAD SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE DOOR REGARDING THIS MODEL.THEY TURNED OFF THE DOOR, SO THAT I COULDN'T OPEN IT. I TOLD THEM I WOULD CALL HONDA HEADQUARTERS AND THEY SAID NOTHING COULD BE DONE. I ESSENTIALLLY HAD TO TURN OFF THE ABILITY TO AUTOMATICALLY OPEN THE DOOR WHEN A STOP IS MADE OTHERWISE A LOUD BEEP WOULD EMIT. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE BEACUSE I AM HARD OF HEARING. WHEN IT IS TIME TO GET OUT OF THE CAR I TURN THE AUTOMATIC BACK ON, SO THAT THE KIDS CAN EASILY EXIT FROM ONE DOOR. I OPEN THE LEFT DOOR MANUALLY WHICH IS VERY HARD. I LIVE ON A HILL, SO I OPEN THE DOOR AND LET KIDS IN BUT THE DOOR SLAMS SHUT! HOW UNSAFE IS THAT, A DOOR SLAMS INTO A CHILD BECAUSE I LIVE ON A HILL AND AM FORCED TO USE THE MANUAL SETTING. NOBODY GOT HURT, BUT SOMEONE COULD HAVE. A FEW DAYS LATER, I WAS WITH MY FAMILY AND WE WERE ALL IN THE CAR, THE DOORS WERE IN THE MANUAL SETTING AND THD DOOR DIDN'T CLOSE ALL THE WAY. I AM IN MOTION AND THE DOOR OPENS. LUCKILY EVERYBODY WAS SECURED IN THEIR SEATBELTS, BUT WE WERE JUST GETTING MOVING. WOULD IF MY CHILD WAS UNBUCKLED AND THE DOOR OPENED? MY KID WOULD FLY OUT! HOW UNSAFE! THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED!!!!

NHTSA ID

11164241

Incident

Nov 17, 2018

Mileage

150,000 mi